Tony Slattery | |
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.jpg) Slattery in 2024 | |
| Born | Tony Declan James Slattery (1959-11-09)9 November 1959 Stonebridge, London, England |
| Died | 14 January 2025(2025-01-14) (aged 65) |
| Education | Trinity Hall, Cambridge (BA) |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1982–2025 |
| Partner | Mark Michael Hutchinson (1986–2025) |
Tony Declan James Slattery (9 November 1959 – 14 January 2025) was a British actor and comedian. He appeared on British television regularly from the mid-1980s, including as a regular on theChannel 4 improvisation showWhose Line Is It Anyway?. His serious and comedic film work included roles inThe Crying Game,Peter's Friends andHow to Get Ahead in Advertising.
Slattery was born inStonebridge, London, into a working-class background, the fifth and last child ofCatholicIrish immigrants, Michael and Margaret Slattery.[1]
In April 2019 Slattery revealed that he had been repeatedlysexually abused by a priest at the age of eight, but had never told his parents; he believed the event contributed to his unstable character later in life.[2][3] He was educated atGunnersbury Boys' School inwest London and won a scholarship to read Modern and Medieval Languages atTrinity Hall, Cambridge, specialising in French literature and Spanish poetry. Slattery held ablack belt in judo and represented England internationally for under-15s.[4]
At theUniversity of Cambridge, Slattery discovered a love of the theatre, taking delight in making people laugh. He metStephen Fry, who invited him to join theCambridge Footlights.[5] Other members at that time includedHugh Laurie,Emma Thompson,Sandi Toksvig,Jan Ravens andRichard Vranch.[6]
In 1981 Slattery, Fry, Laurie, Thompson and Toksvig won the inauguralPerrier Award for theirrevueThe Cellar Tapes.[7][8] The following year, Slattery was made President of the Footlights. During his tenure, the touring annual revue wasPremises, Premises.[9]
Slattery first broke into television as a regular performer onChris Tarrant's follow up toO.T.T.,Saturday Stayback (1983),[10] while also appearing for children inBehind the Bike Sheds and the Saturday-morning showTX.[11] In 1988 he appeared in the first series of comedy improvisation showWhose Line Is It Anyway? and quickly became a regular performer on the show. In 1991 he and fellowWhose Line regularMike McShane starred in their own improvisational comedy series,S&M.[12] During the 1990s he was also a regular guest on comedy panel showHave I Got News for You.[10]
As a dramatic actor he appeared inThe Crying Game,To Die For,Peter's Friends,Up 'n' Under[13] andThe Wedding Tackle (1999) as Little Ted.[14]
At the end of the 1980s he became a film critic, presenting his own show on British television,Saturday Night at the Movies. He also appeared in theITV sitcomThat's Love withJimmy Mulville.[10]
Slattery was also a regular guest with the Comedy Store Players, both atThe Comedy Store in London and on tour.[15]
In 1990, Slattery appeared as a contestant onCluedo, facing off againstDavid Yip. From 1993 to 1994 he was the host of the game showTrivial Pursuit.[10]
In 1992 Slattery appeared in the filmCarry On Columbus. In the same year he appeared in the seriesDead Ringer, filmed for the observation round inThe Krypton Factor. Also in 1992 Slattery appeared as a contestant on the Channel 4 showGamesMaster,[16] and in 1993 he starred in the ITV sitcomJust a Gigolo.[17]
He was featured in all episodes of the televised version of the long-running radio gameshowJust A Minute in 1994,[10] and became a team captain when the format was revised in 1995, again appearing in all episodes.
He starred in a pilot episode ofgentlemen detectivespoofTiger Bastable for ITV in 1995 which was not picked up as a series.[citation needed]
Personal problems later overshadowed Slattery's career, leading to a reduced profile. He made his last appearance onWhose Line Is It Anyway? in 1995, and due to an extended period of illness, he undertook only occasional television work from the mid-1990s to the early 2000s. He reappeared inRed Dwarf in 1999 as the voice of a vending machine.[18]
In 2005 Slattery appeared in the TV filmAhead of the Class withJulie Walters,[19] portrayed D.I. Alan Hayes in series 7 ofBad Girls,[20] and made a cameo appearance in ITV'sLife Begins.[10] He won a celebrity edition of the game showThe Weakest Link, defeatingVanessa Feltz in the final round. At the end of the show, he announced that he would donate his prize money to theTerrence Higgins Trust. In December 2005, he joined the soap operaCoronation Street asEric Talford.[21]
In 2007 Slattery played Tom O'Driscoll in the feature filmLady Godiva: Back in the Saddle, and the Canon of Birkley in theRobin Hood episode "Show Me the Money".[22] From 2007 to 2009, Slattery was a regular cast member in the ITV seriesKingdom.[23]
In March 2011, Slattery appeared in a reunion special ofWhose Line Is It Anyway? along withDavid Walliams,Josie Lawrence,Clive Anderson,Humphrey Ker andNeil Mullarkey for the BBCComic Relief show24-Hour Panel People.[24]
In April 2019, an interview with Slattery was published inThe Guardian, which led to his participation in a television documentary.[25]
In 2020 Slattery and his partner Mark Hutchinson were featured in an edition of the BBCHorizon series entitled "What's the Matter with Tony Slattery?"[26] In a detailed examination of his mental health, childhood trauma and substance addictions, medical professionals concluded that Slattery continued to experience the effects of trauma relating to childhood sexual abuse; was on the bipolar spectrum; and sufferedalcohol dependence. The professionals advised Slattery on steps to take to improve his mental health and his physical wellbeing.[27][2]
In 1981 he teamed withRichard Vranch as a comedic duo calling themselves "Aftertaste". For a number of years they toured throughout Great Britain performing in small venues: theatres and clubs, including the Tunnel Club,King's Head Theatre in London and aboardthe Thekla ship inBristol. Together they hosted theChannel 4 quizThe Music Game (1992–93)[28] and some episodes of theITV seriesCue the Music.[29]
Featuring hisbaritone voice, Slattery appeared on London'sWest End stages in the musicalsMe and My Girl[30] andRadio Times,[5] as well as in the playNeville's Island at Nottingham Playhouse in 1994.[31]
In May 1998 he was elected asRector of the University of Dundee, his first job in two years.[1] In 2000, his poor attendance record (a single visit in a one-year period) led to calls for his resignation from some students. The official view was that it would not be worthwhile ousting him, because his term was to end in February 2001.[32]
In May 2006 he was a narrator inRichard O'Brien'sRocky Horror Tribute Show, at theRoyal Court Theatre as part of the 50th anniversary celebrations.[33][34]
In 2017–2018 he was the eponymous star ofSlattery Night Fever, an improvised comedy show on London's off-West End, directed by Lesley Ann Abiston.[35][36]
In 2017, Slattery returned to Edinburgh and appeared at the Fringe, as a guest joining other performers.[35][37] In 2018 Slattery was performing his own again at the Fringe[37] and appeared in shows with the titleSlattery will get you Nowhere.[38][39] He launched a fundraising appeal in May 2019, in support of his continuing to appear on stage.[40]
Starting in 2024,[41] Slattery appeared on a weekly improvised podcast, Tony Slattery's Rambling Club.[42][43] Special guests includedRobin Ince,Richard Vranch andJulian Clary.
In the mid-1990s, after leavingWhose Line Is It Anyway?, Slattery suffered what he described as a "midlife crisis", triggered bycocaine use and excessive drinking. Slattery said he did not remember how much he had spent on cocaine but "would not be surprised" if media reports that he spent £4,000 per week on the drug were accurate.[44][45]
In 1996, Slattery's crisis culminated with a six-month period as a recluse, during which he did not answer his door or telephone, "or open bills, or wash... I just sat." Eventually, one of his friends broke down the door of his flat and persuaded him to go to hospital. He was diagnosed withbipolar disorder. He discussed this period and his subsequent living with the disorder in a documentary made by Stephen Fry,The Secret Life of the Manic Depressive, in 2006; Slattery said that he spent time living in a warehouse and "throwing [his] furniture into theThames."[30]
He said: "I'm happily described as gay", and was in a relationship with the actorMark Michael Hutchinson from 1986 until his death.[46]
In September 2020, Slattery signed a publishing deal to write his memoirs,[47] but the autobiography did not materialise.[23]
Slattery died aged 65 on 14 January 2025, having suffered a heart attack two days previously.[6] His friend Sir Stephen Fry led a tribute on BBC Radio 4's obituary seriesLast Word.[48]
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| Preceded by | Rector of the University of Dundee 1998–2001 | Succeeded by |
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